Is There Any Hope?

The Question People Asked Of God In The Past As We Do Today

As dusk fell on the Saturday before Christmas of 1927, two Coast
Guardsmen stationed at Wood End in Provincetown spotted the periscope of a Navy
submarine breaking the surface of the water just in front of a Coast Guard
cutter ship.[i] Within minutes, the cutter had rammed
the sub, sending it to the bottom of the bay. The entire crew was held captive in a sunken sub 100 feet
below sea level. Rescue ships and
divers were immediately dispatched in an attempt to save the crew. As the hours grew to days the weather
worsened. After locating the
submarine, a Navy deep-sea diver dove down to it and heard a noise coming from
the inside. He placed his helmet
up against the side of the vessel and realized that the crew was sending a
Morse Code message. The diver spelled
out the message in his mind being tapped on the hull. It was repeating the same question: “IS…THERE…ANY…HOPE?”

“Is there any hope?”
That’s the kind of question the people of God asked of him in the past
as we do today. “Is there any
hope?” The people of God send out
this question to him in prayer.
Our prayers repeatedly tap into the heavens asking our Divine Rescuer if
there is any hope of survival within this fallen world. “Is there any hope?” The bible delivers four prophetic signs
to those who ask this question namely, the virgin shall bear a son, from
Bethlehem shall come a ruler, out of Egypt I shall call my son, and Rachel
shall weep for her children.

The Virgin Shall Bear A Son

This is the first prophecy of the Old Testament that is recorded in the
New Testament. The prophet Isaiah
said to Ahaz, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and
shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Isa 7:14).

In the Old Testament this prophecy is given in the context of a very
wicked king and nation. Just a few
verses earlier the prophet said, “Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be
shattered, no longer a people...If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall
not stand at all” (Isa 7:8-9). In
a time of extreme wickedness, God promised a miracle.

But in the New Testament, this prophecy is fulfilled in the context
of naming the Christ child. In
Matthew 1:21-32 notice what the passage says, ‘“She will bear a son, and you
are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had
been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they
shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”’

Today we live in a world of unbelief like Ephraim. There are wicked rulers about us like
Ahaz. Even in our own communities,
churches, homes, and families there is much sin. Yes, judgment will come. But we rejoice in “Immanuel.” He is God with us.
The virgin has conceived a child.
He will save his people from their sins. We rejoice in the birth of the Christ child.

From Bethlehem Shall Come A Ruler (2:6)

The second Old Testament prophecy recorded in the New Testament
comes from the prophet Micah. The
times were cursed when Micah spoke.
He said of Samaria, “her womb is incurable” (1:9). He said the people “devise wickedness
and evil deeds on their beds! When
the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power” (2:1). These people “covet fields, and seize
them; houses, and take them away; they oppress householder and house, people
and their inheritance” (2:2). These
people “hate the good and love the evil” (3:2). Therefore the prophet prophesied, “Zion shall be plowed as a
field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a
wooded height” (3:12).

But in the midst of this awful iniquity and rebellion the prophet
gave this wonderful prophecy concerning Bethlehem: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the
little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in
Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days...And he shall stand and
feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the
majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he
shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace” (Mic
5:2-5)

What a promise for us today!
We live in a world of great wickedness, and hatred, and spiritual
hunger. But the word “Bethlehem”
means, “house of bread.” Our
capital cities may fall. People
may devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds and in the morning perform
it in their power. They may hate
the good and love the evil. But
Bethlehem, though numbered as one of the least among the clans, will tower over
other cities. Every church of
Jesus Christ still has bread for the hungry. Every church of Jesus Christ will stand firm, fed, and
secure in the strength of the Lord.
Jesus Christ is our great Provider and Peacemaker!

The New Testament repeats this prophecy of a coming ruler in Matthew
2:6 saying, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd
my people Israel.”

Out Of Egypt I Shall Call My Son (2:15)

The third Old Testament prophecy recorded in the New Testament comes
from the words of the prophet Hosea.
It was a time in which God said, “…for the LORD has an indictment against the inhabitants of the
land. There is no faithfulness or
loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land” (Hos 4:1). Because of the evildoers, the prophet
says, “Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out; and
bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hos 4:2).
Israel is described as “a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit,” sinful
fruit brought forth for himself; heaped upon himself (Hos 10:1).

But the Lord reminds them through the mouth of his prophet Hosea,
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they
went from me” (Hos 11:1). He goes
on to say, “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my
arms...I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift
infants to their cheeks. I bent
down to them and fed them” (Hos 11:3-4).

So it is in much of our world today. No faith. No
loyalty. No knowledge of God. Swearing. Lying.
Killing. Stealing. Committing adultery. Bloodshed follows bloodshed. I am reminded of my daughter recounting
the tragic tale of a close friend in school. Her friend comes from a broken family. Her father is an alcoholic and
wife-beater. Her mother is
financially and emotionally unstable.
Her parents are divorced and deemed unfit to raise their own
children. In light of these
circumstances, her friend has been living with her aunt. At the time, her mother was pregnant
and her boyfriend had just abandoned her.

The world is a luxuriant vine that brings forth its own abundant
fruit of evil. In Matthew 2:15 God
called the Christ child who lived among a sinful people, “Out of Egypt I
have called my son.” He calls us today. Remember that it is the Lord who taught us to walk in his
ways—he took us in his arms, led us with kindness and love, and lifted us like
infants to his cheeks. He bent
down and fed us. Don’t bite the
hand that feeds you. Don’t remain
in your Egypt. Don’t walk away
from his calling upon your life.

Rachel Shall Weep For Her Children (2:18)

There are many who find no solace in this fourth Old Testament
prophecy quoted in the New Testament.
Matthew uses a prophecy from Jeremiah to depict the sorrow that visited
the mothers of Bethlehem. A sword
pierced their hearts when their sons were slaughtered by the wicked king
Herod. When it is simply taken by
itself, this is a part of the Christmas story that brings tears to the soul.

In Matthew 2:16-18 we read, ‘“When Herod saw that he had been
tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the
children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to
the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet
Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in
Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”’

But wait! Let’s look at
the entire prophecy. Matthew does
not quote the entire passage because he is simply showing how Christ is the
fulfillment of all the wonderful prophecies of the Old Testament. Listen to all the words recorded in
Jeremiah 31:15-17: “Thus says the
LORD: A
voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she
refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Thus says the LORD:
Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a
reward for your work, says the LORD: they shall come back from the land of
the enemy; there is hope in your future, says the LORD:
your children shall come back to their own country.”

To me this is one of the most precious prophetic promises of the
Christ child. Yes, we do live in a
time in which “Rachel is weeping for her children.” Furthermore, it is a time that many mothers “will refuse to
be consoled, because they are no more.”
Christian homes are not exempt from the ravages of Satan. He tempts our sons. He seduces our daughters. He leads them like sheep to the
slaughter. We hear voices in our
churches—voices of wailing and loud lamentation. Our hearts bleed.
We weep for our children.
The seats of former churchgoers in our congregation remain empty
“because they are no more.” They
have become prodigals. Their
earthly inheritance is foolishly squandered. Their souls are enslaved to the enemy. Their lives are lost in the far
country.

But don’t stop there!
Continue reading the prophecy.
What does it promise us today?
If you’re a weeping mother, dry your tears upon the pages of Jeremiah’s
prophecy. If you’re a
brokenhearted father, take comfort in the Lord through his servant
prophet. If you’re a grieving
parent, let the Spirit of God speak to you through his word, “Thus says the LORD:
Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a
reward for your work, says the LORD: they shall come back from the land of
the enemy; there is hope in your future, says the LORD:
your children shall come back to their own country.”

For the promise to us is that out of Egypt, out of satanic slavery,
out of the far country, the Lord will call all our sons and daughters back—he
will call all our lost prodigals back to himself!

I know that I left you hanging in regard to what happened to those
six survivors trapped in the sunken submarine that rested on the ocean floor
100 feet below. The weather
deteriorated rapidly as the storm with gale force winds prevented any rescue
effort to continue. It was no
longer safe to send ships and divers into the waters. Precious oxygen from the crippled vessel was depleting
fast. The situation seemed
hopeless. After 62 hours of
imprisonment in the forward torpedo room, the six survivors sent a final
heartbreaking message: “We
understand.” Sadly, there wasn’t
going to be a successful rescue operation and a joyous homecoming for the crew
of that ill-fated collision at sea.
The families that anxiously waited for word concerning their loved ones
received the dreadful news with weeping.
The 38 Navy officers and sailors did not return home safely. The massive rescue attempt went
unrewarded and all Provincetown grieved.

From inside the sunken sub the crew asked the question, “Is there
any hope?” Word returned from the
outside world saying, “There is no hope.”
Unlike these brokenhearted officers and sailors lost at sea, those who
weep and grieve for their loved ones in our fallen world are promised a divine
rescue from their seemingly doomed life.
Today the weeping mother and brokenhearted father may ask the Lord, “Is
there any hope?” And God speaks to
them in a prophetic code saying, “There is hope in your future.” The virgin shall bear a son and from
Bethlehem shall come a ruler. The
prophetic promise of a rescue is coming to pass. The sinful raging storm that is swallowing up a multitude of
lost souls will soon subside. Hang
in there! Help is coming! There is hope!

This is the meaning of the coming of the Christ child. He came at a time “that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets.” He is our Christ-mass.
He is our worship service.
He is our hope. He is our
gift. He is our deliverer. He is our joy. He is our life.

When it is a time that Ephraim “will not stand firm in faith as a
people,” remember it is also a time when “the virgin shall bear a son.”

When it is a time that people “hate the good, and love the evil,”
remember that there is a Bethlehem, a “house of bread,” where the Christ child
is born and where God’s children are fed.

When it is a time of bitter bondage, harsh taskmasters, and wicked
kings like Herod, remember that it is also a time God will say, “Out of Egypt I
have called my son.”

When it is a time of Rachel weeping for her children, remember it is
also a time in which there is the sweet voice of the Lord whispering, “Keep
your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears...there is hope in your
future.”

Endnotes

[i] Mass Moments, “December 17, 1927: Coast Guard Cutter Collides with Navy
Submarine.” The Navy submarine, S-4, and the Coast Guard cutter Paulding, collided just off the coastline of Provincetown. Six survivors trapped in the forward
torpedo room managed to communicate to a diver through Morse Code that they
were alive. In spite of a
concerted effort between the Coast Guard and Navy to rescue the crew of the
sunken sub, a growing nor’easter and treacherous underwater currents thwarted
their attempts to rescue the six survivors. Once the weather cleared, the despondent rescuers set to
work recovering the bodies of the 38 officers and sailors lost on the
submarine.

that was a great reminder of how God is truly in all of life's situations, thanks

Author

Gicky Soriano 8 years agofrom California

TimeHealsAll, Thanks you for your comment and well wishes. All blessings to you in this joyous season.

TimeHealsAll 8 years agofrom Las Vegas, Nevada

Your hub comes at a Glorious time. The birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas. A time for joy, thanksgiving, peace and praise! A Saviour comes to deliver his people! Joy to the world the lord has come!!! Great hub Gicky and many Blessings for this Christmas season!

Author

Gicky Soriano 8 years agofrom California

RevLady, Thank you for your gracious words and visit. May God bless you with a steadfast hope in him this Christmas.

RevLady 8 years agofrom Lantana, Florida

You said it all. "This is the meaning of the coming of the Christ child. He came at a time “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets.” He is our Christ-mass. He is our worship service. He is our hope. He is our gift. He is our deliverer. He is our joy. He is our life."

We praise God for the glory of His birth, death and resurrection that gives us hope for a brighter future in Christ Jesus. Glory to God in the Highest!

Thank you for this beautifully written and spiritually meaningful hub,